Single mom who ‘relied’ on daughter’s iPad as a ‘substitute’ for her absence goes viral after removing it cold turkey

A mom who took away her child’s Apple device is documenting the aftermath on TikTok.

Stephany Faublas is a 34-year-old single mom who recently swapped her 5-year-old daughter’s iPad for educational activities.

The content creator and recruiter from Charlotte, North Carolina, noticed her daughter, Cadence Gray, was spending a little too much time looking at a screen, so she decided to cut it cold turkey.

“I’d had an incredibly busy week working from home and trying to meet deadlines. I couldn’t give her much attention and relied on the iPad to substitute for my absence,” Faublas told Fox News Digital.

Because of this, Faublas decided to take the iPad away and replace it with letter practice for her soon-to-be kindergarten student.

“I drastically decreased her iPad use at the beginning of July and swapped out her screen time for letter practice,” she said, adding, “Initially, I was nervous about her reaction. Screen time is addictive and doing work instead comes with rebellion.”

Faublas said her daughter’s reaction ended up being “full of positives.”

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“To my surprise, she was ready to go along with it. She didn’t push back,” she said.

Faublas said she sat on the floor with her daughter and was so surprised by her calm and accepting nature, so she decided to record it.

“Her excitement to start made me want to record and keep the moment – just in case the enthusiasm wasn’t the same the next day,” Faublas said, adding, “I figured I could use this footage to remind her of her excitement to learn.”

In a TikTok video, which has garnered nearly 7 million views, Cadence can be seen in high spirits as she practices writing her letters.

“Three in a row. You really can’t beat me guys,” Cadence can be heard saying to the camera as she practices writing the letter B.

Faublas said her daughter has always had a bold personality, but eliminating the iPad made her grow even more.

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“From the moment we started, her confidence — already there — just grew as we went along,” she said.

She added, “Cadence has always been sure of herself. She always marches to the beat of her drum.”

Some users on TikTok commented on Cadence’s advanced skills, with one person saying, “It’s giving class president.”

Another user wrote, “She’s not even in kindergarten? This is a grown woman. She is going to thrive in school.”

California-based parenting expert Stef Tousignant, who holds a master’s degree in applied positive psychology , told Fox News Digital that screen-free time for young children is essential “for fostering independent and imaginative play.”

Tousignant noted that outside school-related activities, other “playtime” activities off the screen are also necessary for children.

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“Activities like dressing up, building with blocks, and drawing encourage creativity and problem-solving…these types of play, which do not require constant adult guidance, are crucial for development,” she said.

She continued, “What truly stands out in early childhood development are social-emotional skills like cooperation, listening and effective communication, which are often developed through play with other children and are just as important as learning to write letters.”

The community of adults on TikTok, Faublas said, is full of “internet aunties and teachers who are very invested in her well-being, her joy and her progress.”

Faublas expressed that as a single mom, online users help her feel as though she isn’t raising her child alone.

“It’s astonishing. It makes me emotional to think about it. Their support makes me feel like we’re all in this together,” she said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents limit screen time to “one hour a day of high-quality programming” for children ages 2 to 5, Mayo Clinic reports.

For children younger than 2, the AAP “ discourages media use , except for video chatting.”

“If you introduce digital media to children ages 18 to 24 months, make sure it’s high quality and avoid solo media use.”

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